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An alarm began to blare, a little red light above the doors flashing red. A split second later, water began to rain down around them from the sprinklers embedded in the ceiling. Nick was drenched almost immediately, the fireball hissing, steam pouring off it as it shrank. Knowing there wasn’t much time left, hepushed,and, as Pyro Storm leapt out of the way, the diminishing fireball flew toward Patricia Burke.
She didn’t move. The fireball grew smaller and smaller, andwhen it struck her in the chest, it was the size of a quarter, barely leaving a mark on her.
“Well,” Nick said. “That didn’t go like I thought it would.”
Water coated the floor, and when he took a step toward Pyro Storm, toward Patricia, it rose up around his boots, making it feel like he was trapped in quicksand.
Patricia raised her hands, and the thin layer of water covering the floorlifted,growing larger as the sprinklers continued to spray. It covered Pyro Storm, who sucked in as much air as he could before it washed over his face, trapping him inside a bubble of water.
Panic screamed in Nick’s head as his chest heaved. He tilted his head back as the water reached his neck, and then he was also entombed. With his eyes open, the room took on a squirming facade, harsh lines now wiggling. He held his breath, knowing that it was futile, that he was about to drown. Burke appeared in front of him outside of the bubble, drenched, hair plastered on his head, his shoulder wound leaking blood through a ragged hole in his shirt.
“There, there,” Burke whispered, voice oddly muffled through the water. “It’ll be over soon.”
Nick looked beyond him as if in a dream, blood rushing in his ears. Pyro Storm, head twisting side to side. Miles and Trey trapped in their own bubble, hands joined between them. Bob’s head bowed, his thin hair waving around his head, air leaking from his nose.
And Dad. Dad, on his hands and knees. Dad, surrounded by goons. Dad in his own bubble, eyes wide and panicked. Then the panic faded as he looked at Nick. He smiled and mouthed,Love you, kid.
Nick screamed, water pouring into his mouth and down his throat, choking him. Lights began to dance across his vision, and the spark in his head began to dim.
The room darkened, and he thought he saw movement outside the windows of Burke Tower. Another firework exploded, illuminating the seventy-second floor in blues and reds.
And there, floating outside the tower, was a figure.
Nick thought,Who… who is…
The windows exploded inward, shards of glass flying through the air. Patricia Burke cried out when a sharp piece of glass pierced the skin of her right arm. Another cut her on the cheek, leaving a ragged line. She fell forward. The bubble around Nick collapsed, and he took in a great, gasping breath before vomiting what felt like an endless amount of water.
The figure floated through the opening, shadows amassing around him. Feet hitting the floor with a quiet splash, he moved through the room with purpose just as the sprinklers switched off, the alarm falling silent. Nick reached for him, but gagged and vomited once again. “What…” Nick said thickly. “Where…”
The figure ignored him. He ignored the security who tried to rise to their feet only to slip and fall. He ignored Anthony, who lay on his back, breaths shallow. He ignored Pyro Storm, his helmet dripping water as he spat again and again. He ignored Rebecca Firestone, her skin pale, mouth opening and closing, opening and closing. He ignored Miles and Trey, who crouched down next to Bob, who lay flat on his back, eyes closed, body limp. Trey pressed against Bob’s sternum, pumping up and down. Miles bent over, pinching Bob’s nose closed, breathing into his mouth, causing his chest to expand. He ignored Dad, hair hanging around his face.
He ignored his parents, Burke blinking up at the ceiling, Patricia screeching as she tried to pull the glass from her arm.
Owen Burke ignored them all. Through bleary eyes, Nick watched him cross the room, heading toward the counter against the wall. Colorful water sluiced around his feet, and it took Nick a moment to realize where it’d come from.
The pills, melting in the water.
Some had survived, a mixture sitting on the counter, protected by the remains of the containers that had once held them. Nick tried to rise as Owen picked through them as if he had all the time in the world. He lifted a yellow one. Tossed it aside. A greenone. The same. Blue and orange. He paused with a white one before shaking his head. He bent over the counter. When he turned back around, he held a pile of pills in his hand.
All black.
He looked at them, a strange glint in his eyes. “You know,” he said, almost conversationally, “I really do love these things.”
And then he brought the pills to his mouth and swallowed them all, throat working.
“No,” Nick whispered.
“There,” Owen said in that same mild voice. “That should do it.” He shivered. “Oh man, I almost forgot how quickly these work. Thanks,Dad.”
Shadows began to move around him, and Owen rose off the floor, all the light that remained in the room fading as if being sucked into a black hole. Sentient blackness moved across the walls, the floor, the ceiling.
“Owen,” Burke said, slipping on the floor. “Owen,don’t.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Owen said coldly. “Not anymore. Not after all you’ve done to me.”
“Owen, baby,” Patricia begged. “We love you. We’re yourparents.Help us. Please.”
Owen looked at her, expression softening. “Hey, Patricia. Been a long time.” And then a shadow coiled around his stepmother, slithering up her legs to her arms, pinning them in place. He raised his hand, fingers spread. He slowly closed them, and Patricia began to choke, eyes bulging from her head. “Missed you.”
